Noumea, New Caledonia, 25 June 2025 – Participating in the annual Committee of Regional Governments and Administrations (CRGA) Subcommittee on the Implementation of SPC’s Strategic Plan (2022–2031), the Cook Islands reaffirmed its call for more targeted, responsive support.
Discussions at the Subcommittee centred on SPC’s Independent Institutional Review (IIR), the One SPC Transformation Programme (OTP), and the development of cross-cutting Flagship Programmes in climate change, gender equality, food systems, ocean management, and more recently, digital transformation.
The Cook Islands welcomed the IIR’s recommendations but cautioned that gaps in decentralisation remain a visible reflection of where member needs are still not being met. The Cook Islands called for an outward-facing recalibration of SPC’s operations—ensuring that internal coordination translates into tangible, national-level results. Strengthening partnerships between SPC’s regional offices and country governments was underscored as essential, with the Cook Islands reaffirming its strong interest in piloting an SPC Desk Officer in-country to support access and uptake, alignment, and coordination of SPC support.
The Cook Islands recognised the value of SPC Flagship Programmes and encouraged SPC to consider how these internal coordination mechanisms could be expanded to actively enable regional collective action under the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent, while providing direct support to national development efforts. In that regard, the Cook Islands delegation expressed a strong preference to be involved in shaping the Digital Transformation Flagship, noting its potential to preserve cultural content, strengthen domestic capabilities, and strengthen engagement with young people and diaspora.
Noting SPCs recent mission to Europe, the Cook Islands encouraged SPC to explore strategic partnerships with a wider range of countries and regions—an approach that would diversify its resource and partnership base, reinforce long-term institutional sustainability, and ensure more equitable support for all members.
Led by Foreign Secretary Tepaeru Herrmann, the delegation underscored the importance of guiding SPC’s strategic direction and ensuring its work remains grounded in members development realities.
"The CRGA Subcommittee is a critical space for Pacific Islands Countries to converse directly with SPC leadership so we continue to shape SPC priorities and resource allocation," Herrmann said. “The Cook Islands engagement in this subcommittee reflects our commitment to ensuring SPC’s structures work for us. For the Cook Islands, it is about making sure that regional systems are responsive to and driven by Pacific Island Countries development ambitions—delivering real support when and where we need it so that our communities benefit where it is needed most."
Outcomes from the CRGA Subcommittee meeting will directly inform preparations for 55th Committee of Regional Government and Administrations (CRGA55) and the 14th Conference of the Pacific Community (Conf14) to be held in Tonga.
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